Inadvertently funny press release
McLaren wrote:
Car set-up is a delicate balance between low-speed grip and traction through the track’s tortuous 25 corners, while maintaining good straight-line speed
25 torturous corners. Yep, we agree.
Also, Lotus. Note the difference in length
Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus
2011 Qualifying - n/a, 2011 Race - n/a
Quote:
“Valencia is a street circuit, but the layout is not like Albert Park, Monaco or Montreal. It’s definitely the fastest track of these four. It’s likely to be hot and we seem to go well in warm conditions so that’s what we’ll be hoping for. Qualifying is going to be very, very important again here. Obviously, there will be an advantage to starting on the clean side of the track as the streets are only used as a circuit once each year. It’s not an easy place to overtake and we’ll have to see how much help the DRS will be. Valencia is all about being very consistent. It’s so easy to lose time with small mistakes. I love winning and that’s what I’m always trying for. I’ve never won in Valencia, so it’s a good target. Last time I raced in Valencia I finished in third after starting from sixth on the grid which was not too bad.”
Romain Grosjean, Lotus
2011 Qualifying - n/a, 2011 Race - n/a
Quote:
“I made my Formula One debut here in 2009, so it brings back good memories and it’s a circuit I like anyway. There’s always a great atmosphere too; the city centre is obviously very close, and the
America’s Cup harbour is a really nice place to go. The track itself it quite interesting; there are a few second / third gear corners, some high speed sectors, heavy braking zones and usually good weather too so on paper it’s a circuit that could suit us quite well. Hopefully this will be the case!
“Strategy will be quite different here I think; it won’t be one stop like in Montreal that’s for sure! It’s usually been very hot here in the past so combined with the rough track that’s often led to a three-stop strategy. Hopefully we’ll have consistent conditions throughout the weekend so we can get as much experience as possible before the race.
“I had a podium in the first GP2 race here in 2008 and was leading the second race until somebody took me out! Then I managed to win in 2011, so it’s a circuit I’m comfortable with for sure. It definitely helps to know the track already as it usually takes less time to get up to speed and you have a rough idea of where the braking points, turn ins and so on will be. Of course, Formula One is always a bit different but at least I have some guidelines going into the weekend.
“We have to go into every weekend aiming for a win; approaching a race in any other way is like putting yourself on the back foot from the start. I’m mainly hoping for an improvement in qualifying, a good start and then we’ll see what happens from there. It’s great to be fighting at the front and that’s always what we want to do, but we’re in a tight battle this season so of course the most important thing is to score some good points again for the team. If we have a strong weekend from the start then I think we are capable of fighting for a podium or even a win. We’ll see after qualifying where we are; hopefully we can get another good result!”
Posted:
I am grateful though that it's Valencia that I'm missing and not a good race like Montreal or Spa.
